Back to results
US 3,944,328 AGranted
In-line coupling of two lengths of linear optical waveguide elements
AssigneePlessey Handel und Investments AG
InventorsAlan Hugh Kent, Peter Howard Fell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneePlessey Handel und Investments AG
InventorsAlan Hugh Kent, Peter Howard Fell
Estimating the term…
The adjacent ends of two waveguide elements are coupled in mutual alignment by being slid into a suitably dimensioned through bore of a coupling block from the two flared ends of the bore respectively, preferably in the presence of a small quantity of a liquid having a refractory index similar to that of the waveguide elements and preferably also having adhesive qualities to retain the waveguide elements in their mutually abutting coupled position in the block. The coupling block is preferably formed by casting, using a low-shrinkage resin such as epoxy resin in a mould whose end walls have aligned bores for a stainless steel wire which extends through the mould cavity to form the through bore of the block, this wire being withdrawn after setting of the resin. Preferably tapered core portions through which the bores extend coaxially, are provided in the mould and withdrawable endwise to permit removal of the cast block from the mould cavity.
A method of establishing the in-line coupling of two optical waveguide elements of the same cross-section, which comprises the steps of (a) producing a block of epoxy-resin material having a through bore whose cross-section corresponds to that of the said waveguide elements but is slightly larger in its dimensions so that the elements are a sliding fit in the through bore, the through bore being flared at each end to provide a lead-in portion, by a process which includes:
The combination comprising a pair of waveguide elements which are coupled in mutually aligned abutting relation by accommodation of their mutually abutting ends in a through bore of a block that consists of epoxy-resin material and has been produced by a process which includes (a) providing a mould having a mould cavity through which a tensioned wire whose surface does not adhere to the epoxy-resin material, extends from end to end of the cavity;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.